Friday, August 8, 2014

ReExamining Your Goals to Keep Stress Away

I've written before about truly figuring out what your health and performance goals are.  Write it down and then work backwards to where you are currently.  This gives you an outline to follow.  Every month reexamine the goal, the outline, the current daily input to said goal.

For example, lets say your goal is to do a Pistol Squat.  You can have a video of it being performed exactly how you want to do it.  Video yourself doing it.  Now break down the steps to get to the pistol.  Perhaps you need help to tell you what to work on.  That would be a step.  Find help.  If you know what to do, lets say increase dorsiflexion,  do you know several exercises to do this?  Do you need help to adjust the ankle mortise?  Find help if needed.  Is it a joint restriction or tissue restriction?  Is your anterior core strong enough?  Find the exercises and work toward it.  Is their daily input?  Checklists work well.

Every month reexamine your goals.  I'm always surprised at myself when the goals that I mentally say I want to do, somehow start to fade as time goes on.  Or weeks go by without any actual work being performed.  It actually becomes a stress to me, so I think others have this issue.  (I can't be the only one like this!)

If my goal is 2x my bodyweight deadlift and I'm not doing something that brings me closer to that, that is failing.  That is a stress to me.  It's like this little itch that I'm not scratching.  It doesn't sit well and that is stress.

Every time you do something that helps towards your goal, you increase your spirit of well being.  Write down small things that can all increase you ability to achieve that goal.  Going back to the deadlift goal, here are some examples.

Hip flexor flexibility. Grip strength.  Posterior chain strength.  Upper back strength.  Form and technique.  Alignment issues.  All of these can have several examples of exercise that can be performed that can have direct carry over to helping your deadlift.

Reexamine your goals every month.  Keep daily inputs high.  Daily inputs don't have to be major things.  Keep your goal your goal and do something every day that moves you closer.  This will not only keep you on track, it will increase the well being that comes with the successfully pursuing your goals.

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